Chapter 11: Off to the Pawnshop

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Off to the Pawnshop

Back with Hua Buwan, after watching Ling Qianjun leave, she immediately flashed into her spatial dimension without a moment’s pause.

She picked up the Jade Pendant and the gold ingot, calling out, "System, System! Check the value of these two items."

[BEEP. Detected one Pure Gold Yuanbao from a thousand years ago. The bottom bears an Official seal. Total value: fifty thousand yuan.]

[BEEP. Detected one Warm Jade Jade Pendant from Dongxuan Country from a thousand years ago. Rare Warm Jade. Auction value: five million yuan.] ℯℯ𝘭.

"Pfft! What did you say? Five million?!"

"Ahhh! Hahaha! I’m rich, I’m rich! I’m going to be a wealthy woman!"

Hearing this appraisal, Hua Buwan was so thrilled she spun in circles on the spot, only stopping when she finally made herself dizzy. Even then, there was no hiding the massive grin stretching across her face, making her look like an absolute fool.

She planted a huge kiss on both the Jade Pendant and the gold ingot. After lingering in her dimension for a bit longer, she finally emerged from the supermarket, taking only the gold ingot with her. She couldn’t wait another second—she was heading straight to the pawnshop!

Naturally, she only intended to pawn the gold ingot and hold onto the Jade Pendant. The system had made it perfectly clear: that staggering valuation was an auction price. Taking such a treasure to a small, run-of-the-mill pawnshop would be an absolute waste. Not only would they lowball her, but it might also draw dangerous attention. She simply didn’t have the means to attend high-end auctions right now, so she would have to wait.

After locking the supermarket doors, Hua Buwan glanced at her trusty pink electric scooter parked nearby. Resolving herself, she turned away, pulled out her phone, and opened a ride-hailing app. Today, she was going to splurge! Step one: ordering a cab! Just a day ago, she was someone who couldn’t bear to part with the cash for a taxi ride, but today, she planned to get chauffeured everywhere she went just to bask in the joy of it.

Once in the car, she headed straight for the largest pawnshop in town. It was a famous establishment, highly regarded even among the older generation. Word had it that the owner used to be an appraiser for the national museum; after retiring, he returned to this small town and opened a pawnshop to pass the time. The old man had an incredibly sharp eye, offered fair prices, and never shortchanged his customers. His pristine reputation stretched well beyond the town limits.

Sometimes, people from the city would travel all the way here just to have the old man evaluate their goods. Furthermore, his son was a successful businessman in the Capital City who had built a massive publicly listed company, meaning the old man had more than enough financial backing to acquire premium items. Hua Buwan had overheard the neighborhood elders gossiping about this shop before. They even claimed that his son had specifically opened an auction house just for him to play around with. Of course, this was all just hearsay; whether it was true or not remained to be seen.

After spending a few dozen yuan on the cab fare, Hua Buwan finally arrived at the pawnshop. It was funny—back when she was broke, spending that much on a cab would have felt like bleeding out. Now? It felt like a mere drop in the bucket. It was like a trickle of water slipping through her fingertips; she didn’t feel a single ounce of heartache over the expense.

Standing before the establishment, Hua Buwan tilted her head back to take it all in. It was a quaint, antique two-story building with its own private courtyard. Beside the entrance, a decorative stream trickled with a pleasant SPLASH, surrounded by an array of beautiful, vibrant flowers she couldn’t name. Vines wrapped lazily around the red walls and green roof tiles.

Even just standing at the doorway, one could sense the owner’s refined taste. This old man had to be a fascinating character. Without even meeting him yet, Hua Buwan already felt a sense of fondness for the resident and couldn’t wait to make his acquaintance.

"Young lady, are you here to see me, or just asking for directions?"